BISD, SFISD rated academically acceptable

August 2, 2011

Crockett Elementary principal Jayson Hataway proudly stands in front of his campus. Crockett, along with Gateway Elementary, received a recognized rating from the Texas Education Agency.
PHOTO BY DON RICE

Borger ISD and Sanford-Fritch ISD have received their annual accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency.
Overall, both districts were rated academically acceptable. One of the base indicators for this rating pertains to the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) tests taken by students in the district.
In order to meet this standard, the districts were required to have a 70 percent passing rate in Reading/ELA, a 70 percent passing rate in writing, a 70 percent passing rate in social studies, a 65 percent passing rate in mathematics, and a 60 percent passing rate in science.
The districts also had to have a 75 percent standard completion rate for the Class of 2010, and an annual dropout rate for the 2009-10 school year that met a standard of 1.6 percent.
In terms of BISD schools, Borger Intermediate School and Borger High School each received academically acceptable ratings.
Gateway Elementary and Crockett Elementary as a unit received a recognized rating from the Texas Education Agency.
In order to receive recognized status, a school or district must meet a standard of 80 percent for each subject on the TAKS tests.
Superintendent Chance Welch said the recent release of accountability ratings by TEA was encouraging for Borger ISD students districtwide.
“There are 22 academic indicators of accountability for the district, and our students increased academic performance in 21 of the 22 indicators,” he said. “For instance, math scores improved by six percent for all students.”
He also said student performance in 20 of the 22 indicators was at the recognized or exemplary level.
Borger Middle School received a rating of academically unacceptable by the TEA. Welch said BMS saw an increase of ten percent on its TAKS math scores, five percent on its reading scores, and four percent on its reading scores. However, what hurt the school in its ratings was a decrease in science scores.
Welch said this rating was unfortunate. However, he said he hopes some adjustments in curriculum alignment will help the school get back where it needs to be. He also said the school was just one point shy of being academically acceptable.
Overall, he said he is pleased with the accountability results and the way they reflect on the students of Borger ISD.
“We are proud of the accomplishments of our students, and we would like to thank our students, teachers, and parents for all their hard work and effort that was necessary to achieve these gains in performance,” Welch said.
All of the schools in Sanford-Fritch ISD, which include Sanford-Fritch Elementary School, Sanford-Fritch Junior High School, and Sanford-Fritch High School, received academically acceptable ratings.
Jim McClellan, Superintendent for Sanford-Fritch ISD, said he was disappointed that the district did not receive a recognized rating in the accountability system because the district’s overall 2010-11 TAKS scores went up across the board.
“Had the past requirements stayed in place, we would have been exemplary on one campus and recognized on the others,” he said. “However, based on the changes in the accountability system, I do feel fortunate that we remained academically acceptable as a district.”
McClellan said the changes across the state in terms of accountability ratings for schools were shocking. According to the Texas Association of School Administrators, the number of districts and campuses earning the highest ratings from the Texas Education Agency plummeted this year.
The number of exemplary-rated districts dropped from 241 last year to 61 last year, and the number of recognized districts dipped from 607 to 422. The number of districts rated academically unacceptable was up from 37 last year to 88 this year.
The changes affecting the school ratings were as follows:
*Two new base indicators were added in 2011: Commended Performance and the English Language Learners Progress Indicator. This increased the maximum number of hurdles from 35 to 40.
*Use of the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) was discontinued for the 2011 accountability system.
*The TAKS indicator includes performance on the TAKS-Modified and the TAKS Alternate assessments for all grades and subjects in 2011.
*The standards for TAKS science and mathematics increased by five points each.
*The completion rate methodology changed, resulting in more high schools being rated on their Completion Rates in 2011.
*The standard for the dropout rate increased in rigor from less than or equal to 1.8% to less than or equal to 1.6% for 2011.